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The HS2 rail scheme will serve up a major boost for the North despite escalating costs, an independent review claims.

Former HS2 chairman Douglas Oakervee has penned the report which recommends that the project go ahead, in spite of costs rising to around £88bn.

The report has been leaked to The Times, which outlines how Mr Oakervee recommends that the government commit to the full high-speed rail network, a 250mph scheme linking London with cities across the North and Midlands.

The report details how the document makes clear that the system is “not affordable” within the £56bn budget which had been set in the 2015 government spending review, and that there has also been a sharp drop in the benefit to taxpayers.

 

Mr Oakervee’s review will now apply further pressure on Boris Johnson to reveal the Conservatives’ plans for the network, having previously sought to put off any decision until after the general election.

The leaked report also says that that the rising costs mean that the benefit to taxpayers has fallen from £2.30 for every £1 two years ago, to between £1.30 and £1.50 for every £1 which has been spent this year.

Cities across the Midlands and the North would get a big boost from the network, the report says, with improved connectivity resulting in journeys between Leeds and Birmingham being halved, while trips between Newcastle and Birmingham would be reduced by around an hour.

 

Responding to the report, Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership said:

“The Northern Powerhouse Independent Review on HS2 said that there were no identified credible alternatives to HS2 in order to deliver the same capacity, and that it has the potential to unlock greater growth in North and Midlands.

"It is welcome that their recommendations are mirrored by the governments own Oakervee Review.”

“As we await the three major party manifestos, the case has been made for building Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2 together all the way has never been stronger.